RE:RE: Proposal: Thabeet + Mayo for Bargnani

Posted: February 16, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Basketball, Toronto Raptors | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment


Original Post: https://raptorsmatchup.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/proposal-thabeet-mayo-for-bargnani/

Reply Post: https://raptorsmatchup.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/scrap-that-re-proposal-thabeet-mayo-for-bargnani/

It looks like I’ve been accused of having the worst proposal ever apparently. So lets look at SeanB’s arguments for a second.

First off, I wanna say that although I’m not a Bargnani fan, I not saying trade him for the sake of trading him. I’m looking at the long term implication of keeping him and his team leading salary (10mil over 5yrs, not horrible) in Toronto.

Oh and in case you hadn’t noticed, this is a bottom feeder team for the foreseeable future. Having Bargnani here or not will not change that fact, thats why it’s important that decisions about his future be made now while this team is still in the rebuilding phase.

 

Now for SeanB:

1) When you make a theoretical proposal and you’re name is not Brain Colangelo, you’re only interested in the main aspects of the trade. Bargnani/Mayo/Thabeet. The fact that theres a 3 million dollar balance in the trade is nothing. Memphis send you alittle cash or you send back a shit player no one cares about to cover the balance. I didn’t even mention draft picks to make it as simple as possible, and I do think the Raps deserve alittle more compensation coming their way.

MORE IMPORTANTLY, I’m pretty sure the Raptors are NOT over the cap, as ESPN has them listed with Peja (15mil) still on the roster. Someone correct me if I’m wrong.

EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY, ITS A STUPID PROGRAM! Gee ive never seen a Lebron for Caron Butler and Beaubois trade work in NBALive2010 right?? Why not try Pau Gasol for Crittiton and Kwame Brown and Araon Mckie see if that works…

2) “Mayo still has a lot of potential but needs to go to a team like Minnesota”  Hello? This is Minnesota. Same record, same problems, same rebuilding phase. If Mayo came here without Bargnani, he gets a shot at being #1 scoring option. Derozen moves back to his natural SF spot with his new found SG skills, and allows the better shooter Mayo to take the bulk of the shots and Derozen to mold its a Batum type player.

Mayo avg. 18.5ppg his rookie year without Zach Randolph. He avg. 17.5ppg with Randolph and Gasol and Gay and Conley all improving offensively. Bargnani has avg. 15ppg and 17ppg the last two years respectively as the #2 option with Bosh at his side. Hes up to 21ppg as the number #1 scoring option. Theres no reason not to expect Mayo not to have a similar jump in points as the number #1 option on a Raptors team.

3) Memphis is happy with Marc Gasol. Hes a a good center and deserves the minutes. Thabeet is on a rookie contract, so if they’ve decided to move on with Gasol, well then this is a good time to cut they’re loses as his value and salary are still intriguing at this point. Thabeet is still an incredible physical package. Jim Calhoun called him “one of the most dominant players in the history of college basketball.” How different is his game really to Tyson Chandler outta highschool and Roy Hibbert outta college?

Telling teams you have Alabi and Ajinca as your backup centers may cause extreme doubling over laughter. Ajinca is a decent project as a 12th man for now, but Alabi should not to rostered.

 

I’m not trying to the jeopardize the growth of the Raptors. This team has a lot of good young talent and I’m simply looking to add to that regardless of who the player is and whose toes I may be stepping on.


Scrap That: RE: Proposal: Thabeet + Mayo for Bargnani

Posted: February 16, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Andrea Bargnani, Basketball, Toronto Raptors | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment

Original Link: https://raptorsmatchup.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/proposal-thabeet-mayo-for-bargnani/

So today, Cy made the worst proposal ever. Thabeet & Mayo for Bargnani. It seems that he inevitably wants the Raptors to be bottom feeders for the foreseeable future and I am here to argue the various reasons this trade would never work and should never see the light of day.

Let’s talk about the pros before:

1) Mayo is a really good player – During his rookie year, he tried out for the US Olympic team and many of the starters of team (including Kobe) considered Mayo to be future of US Olympic Basketball. His offensive ability and his play-making skills are quite simply amazing. It’s a shame that he hasn’t been able to spread his wings in Memphis.

2) Thabeet is tall … and that is it.

Now the cons:

1) This trade would never work in real life. I tried it out on the ESPN trade machin. Guess what Cy? It did not go through.

2) Mayo still has a lot of potential but needs to go to a team like Minnesota in order to develop. He needs the opportunity at being either the focal point or at least the second option on a team. There just aren’t enough shots in Memphis and I don’t think Toronto can give him that freedom either when we are developing DeMar Derozan. I don’t think DeMar is cut out to be SF and neither is Mayo. However, I do believe at this point, Mayo is more talented than DeMar but I am not sure about Mayo’s work ethic, exemplified by his declining stats over the last 3 seasons. It seems like he hit is prime when was 22 and now he is playing like a 34 year old player at the tail end of his career.

3) Thabeet can’t even get off the bench before Darell Arthur to backup the center position. D. Arthur is 6’9. Even more concerning, you have to ask yourself, why is Memphis is trying to trade him before his rookie contract is even up? They must know that he is impossible to develop. He is slow, no offensive game, haven’t seen much of his defense either (even though he was drafted for his defensive prowess). The Raptors already have a center project and that is Alabi and we recently added Ajinca (who I like a lot) but our trainers can’t take on Thabeet as well. Sometimes people have to realize that there are a lot of Robert Swifts in the NBA and not everyone is a Hakeem.

 

So Cy what you are telling me is, we trade a 7-footer with Dirk Diggler like skills for a slow-footed, sushi raw center and an underachieving SG, who would jeopardize the growth of the young players of this team.

Listen, we are still fresh off losing Bosh and Andrea hasn’t had the chance for a team to be developed around him like a Bosh or Carter. To expect results from Bargs, without this important aspect is a premature decision.

PEACE

Proposal: Thabeet + Mayo for Bargnani

Posted: February 16, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Basketball | Tags: , , , , , , | 3 Comments


Maybe I’m undervaluing Bargnani. Maybe overvaluing him
Maybe I’m undervaluing Thabeet + Mayo. Maybe overvaluing them.

To be honest, I don’t know. I’m not really sure what the consensus is about Bargs around the NBA. I assume it’s much like my friends and I, some love him some hate him, although I think anyone reading this blog probably knows where I stand on the subject…

Mayo is more or less in the same boat. Talented young player but has been inconsistent for the most part in his career. He would give the Raps a deadly shooter for Calderon/Bayless to hit off screens who might thrive with alittle more spotlight put on him offensively. Getting Mayo, would also allow for one of Calderon, Barbosa or Weems to be sent packing.

Thabeet has largely been ineffective so far since coming out of the University Connecticut, but he has the main components of what the Raptors need at the center spot. An intimdating shot blocker and rebounder. I dont see why with a little work Thabeet cant become a cross between Tyson Chandler and Greg Oden.

Losing Bargnani is significant for the team, but in my estimation, a step in the right direction. His points can be made up by guys like Bayless, Barbosa, DD, Ed Davis, and thats about all that needs to be accounted for.

Why would the Grizzlies do this?  Well, this trade probably can only happen assuming they move Randolph like people think Memphis will.   That allows Bargnani to step in at the PF spot and spreads the floor for Gasol to work in the post and opens lanes for slashers like Gay.  The Grizz also get cheaper and younger.

The Under Appreciated Combo Guards: Barbosa and Bayless

Posted: February 16, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Basketball | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Combo gaurd.

Its a word that gets thrown around alot and has a somewhat negative connotation surrounding it. We’re talking about your 6’3 and under shooting gaurd who doesn’t quite have the size to matchup on the NBA level but has enough ball handling and passing skills to maybe play alittle point gaurd. GMs squirms at the thought of drafting them, coaches wonder how to use them and the media love to critize them.  So who needs these guys?

The Raps are fortunate enough to possess two of such players.
To many people, Barbosa and Bayless are simiply decent scorers that can be used as tradebait. To me, they are the best players on the team. Ok thats not saying much on a team with a 15 and 40 record, but considering how underused they are, its a bit of a bold statement.

Barbosa can flat out fly. We all know that. More importantly, he’s a great decision maker and he’s the guy you want with the ball at the bottom of shot clocks and at the end of games (yes I’m fed up with Bargnani taking the game winning shot and either not getting it off or barely touching iron….). People will argue he doesn’t pass enough, while true, his shots and drives are rarely bad ones thanks to his speed that is second to none. He’s also no Corey Maggette black hole and years of playing alongside Nash have improved his vision.

Bayless on the other hand is still a bit of a unknown commodity. Traded to New Orleans this past offseason, I assume N.O wanted him to be their 6th man scoring punch in the JR Smith mold. For whatever reason it didn’t work out and now Toronto is blessed with his presence. His passing has gotten significantly better from his rookie season at Portland. His drives and finishes at the rim are highlight reel worthy on many a nights, and he has a solid shot with 3 point range. He truly has become a capable point gaurd if a coach wants to use him that way. His 14.5pts 7.5ast 46fg% as a starter may be an eye opener to some.

Not alot of teams have two guys who can create their own shot, shoot a good %, make smart plays and get shots for others. Combo gaurds rarely work out quite as well as Iverson, but what Toronto has is worthy in it’s own right.
I say run with Bayless at PG, Barbosa at SG. Dump Calderon and his awful defense somewhere, have Derozen at SF and Weems off the bench replacing Barbosa or DD if a matchup problem exists on defense.

Raptors VS Spurs – Post Game

Posted: February 9, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Basketball, Toronto Raptors | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Wandering thoughts!

Where is all that energy coming from? Seems like they’re running more and they’re being aggressive on the boards. I really like this strategy because it suits the personnel better and their secondary break with Andrea coming behind to the 3 point line without some in his face is very deadly.

Jose Calderon is really receptive to jab-steps. George Hill moved him out the way @ 1:35 to go in the 3rd quarter. We all know what happend to Jose against Mario Chalmers. I beg you Jose please don’t embarrass Canada like that again.

Why is Ed Davis sporting a Chaplin ‘stache? Is that what’s hot now days? Don’t think so.

However even with all that energy, Raptors were just no match for the Spurs but eventually the Raptors will figure it out if they can always play with this type of energy.


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